Prelude
by TheTrainTicket
Summary: This is so wrong. He thought to himself. I shouldn't be doing this…why am I doing this? What am I going to tell her when I get back home? He pressed his back against the wall, and very slowly, peered in. That's when he saw them.


** Okay, I'm in the middle of writing a chapter story (which I honestly never thought I'd end up doing here on ) when I realized I haven't posted anything in a while. Stupid AMVs have been taking up all my time. So I made this one-shot for…whoever the hell reads me stuff. I hope you enjoy it, and with an luck, the next thing I post will be my chapter story.**

** On a side note, I don't like the fact that only allows you to label your story with two characters. If this thing was more accurate, I would have labeled it "Thief King," "Y. Bakura" and "R. Bakura." It's not bakushipping exactly, (even though I love that threesome) it's really a love-triangle sort of thing.**

**Also, I've seen a few different names for Thief King being used, and I went with Touzokuo because…well, quite frankly, that's just the one I like the best. Akefia just seems a bit too feminine, even for him.**

** It's an AU, and all you need to know is that the three characters are able to exist in the modern world with their own bodies. No Millennium Items, card games or anything of that sort.**

Prelude

He couldn't tell her why he had left. He wasn't even too sure himself. Good nature, perhaps? He smirked at the thought.

Good nature…sure. After all that he had done, she still believed that he was basically "good natured." Was that the same "good nature" that led him to killing all those people? To raping a handful of women?

To being involve with him…

Well, whatever the reason, he felt the need to go. He was so grateful she had not asked why. She had a way of understanding him, a fact he relied heavily upon. She knew his _need_ to go, even if neither of them understood his reason.

As he walked down the streets towards his destination, he did begin to ponder that himself. What was his reason for going, why was he interested in the situation? Sure, it involved his ex-lover, but hadn't they both agreed it was time to move on? There was a mutual sense that they no longer had feelings for each other.

If that was the case, why was he still so curious?

Perhaps it was that boy…

After Touzokuo had called it quits with Bakura, his ex-lover went out to find someone new. He always wondered if Bakura only did it out of jealously. Touzokuo had to admit, it seemed like he had begun his new relationship rather quickly after ending his with Bakura.

It wasn't as if she had come in between the two men. They were said and over with long before she came into the picture. It was just…they didn't love each other anymore.

Touzokuo laughed to himself. The thought of putting "love" and "Bakura" in the same thought…it amused him. Bakura didn't "love." Bakura owned.

He ex-lover was a possessive soul, and sought to own everything and everyone that came in his path. Bakura had an obsession with power, and needed a constant reminder that he was the one in control. He had been attracted to Touzokuo because he was a challenge, someone that could not easily be manipulated. He wanted to prove that he could handle such a task.

Touzokuo, in return, was fascinated with Bakura. Fascinated by the fact that a man much smaller than himself believed he could overpower him. They were both after the same thing – control over someone they considered weaker than themselves. The two never mentioned the little competition between them, but they both knew it existed.

The hunt for each other's souls was on.

That was love for Bakura.

This went on for a couple of years. Until one day Bakura finally realized that Touzokuo couldn't be dominated – he would not _allow_ himself to be dominated. The two were extremely similar in that setting

Eventually, their little hunt grew old. Both of them had tired of trying to obtain what they knew they would never have. What was once exciting had now become dull.

So they ended their game.

Then came along a woman. She was much like Touzokuo, in a sense. They were both loners. She had grown up in foster care, and he had practically grown up on the streets. They had very similar ideals on the world. The only real difference between them seemed to be that she was very submissive. She didn't mind that he wanted some control; she willingly gave it to him. That was a trait he found very attractive. He found the woman herself very attractive. And thus, their relationship began.

That was back when Touzokuo and Bakura were still speaking to one another. Even if they have ended their game, they knew each other well. They had grown used to the other's company.

So Touzokuo had immediately recognized Bakura's jealously when he mentioned that he was now involved with a woman. Bakura didn't really mind that Touzokuo had moved on – it was the fact that he had found someone new before Bakura. His ex-lover couldn't stand the thought of being undesirable, and quickly sought out a new toy.

And he had found one.

Touzokuo had been extremely shocked one day when he came over to visit, and found a teenage boy sitting in Bakura's living room.

The boy had been equally surprised to see Touzokuo, but merely smiled at him, and introduced himself as Ryou. Touzokuo, after coming over his surprised, told the boy his name. Right before Ryou could ask who Touzokuo was exactly, Bakura entered the room. He wrapped his arms possessively around the boy's shoulders, looked up at Touzokuo and asked what he thought of his new pet.

Touzokuo couldn't lie, he was rather appealing. He watched as the two cuddled slightly. Bakura tilted Ryou's head back and kissed his lips. The boy let him do so. Touzokuo simply rolled his eyes. If Bakura's ego was truly that big…

He had never been one to publicly display affection, but he wanted Touzokuo to see that someone had indeed found _him_ desirable – Bakura was showing off.

Things started to change after that. Touzokuo stopped coming over. The only reason the two had kept seeing one another was because they were inwardly lonely. Now that they had found new interests, why did they still need each other? Touzokuo was in love with a woman, and Bakura had his…toy.

Yet, here Touzokuo was, going back.

His thoughts ended when he realized he had reached his destination. Bakura lived in a large mansion. His lust for power had caused him to be very competitive in business, and the result had made him extremely wealthy. Touzokuo, who had been raised in poverty, was attracted by Bakura's wealth.

Not that Touzokuo desired riches; he was too much of a masochist. He had grown in hardships, and hardships were familiar to him. Even today, he and his girlfriend were living in a one-bedroom apartment. He had only high respect for Bakura's success.

Touzokuo entered the mansion with ease, having been there many times in the past. The front door was unlocked, as he knew it would be, so he sauntered inside. He had the urge to call out and announce his presence, yet something held him back. For some strange reason, his instincts told him that it was best to keep his mouth shut.

He walked in further, stepping into the large hallway. He glanced around a bit, half expecting Bakura or Ryou to be nearby. The living room wasn't that far away from the door, and usually one of the two was sitting on the couch. Touzokuo was a little surprised after waiting a few minutes and still no one was around.

A set of stairs was in front of him, and he decided that the two must have been on the second floor. Well, at least going to check was better than just standing there waiting. As he climbed up, however, he had an eerie feeling curl down his back. It was…just a little too quiet in the house, even one as big as this. And it really did bother him that no one had been on the first floor when someone almost always was…

He felt himself slowing down his pace while climbing up the stairs, as if trying not to disturb…whatever…

He could hear himself breathing deeply, and a knot began to form in the pit of his stomach. He truly was unsure as to why his nerves were so high-strung. This was _Bakura's_ house, this was familiar territory. Still…something just didn't feel right.

Touzokuo, not paying much attention to where he was going, had to hold back a yelp when he reached the top of the stairs and felt something soft touch his toes. Looking down, the object was revealed to be a T-shirt. Confused, Touzokuo bent over and picked up the item of clothing. He examined it for a minute, and realized that Bakura didn't own anything like it. He would never go out and buy something as ordinary as a T-shirt.

Peering down the hall, Touzokuo found more clothes lying on the ground. He tossed the shirt aside and began to follow the trail. There was a pair of jeans not too far away, but then there were a couple of feet in between those and the next set of clothes.

Another pair of pants lay on the hallway floor, a bit fancier than the jeans. Probably more expensive, as well. The owner had good tastes.

Then Touzokuo spotted a shirt he recognized. It was a button-down shirt that Bakura had worn on one of their first dates.

A sense of realization washed over Touzokuo. Suddenly he was very afraid. He backed up slowly against the wall, and bent down, trying to make himself as small as possible. Right now, the only thing that mattered was not getting caught.

Part of him said to run – to get out of that house as quickly as he could. That was the right thing to do, after all. What was happening inside this house wasn't any of his business, anyways.

And yet…he had come all this way…

There was still a small voice in his head – a sick, twisted, perverted voice – that told him to stay. It told him to see with his own eyes what he knew was going on.

He listened to that voice.

Removing his sandals, Touzokuo tiptoed down the hallway, following the trail of clothes. He tried to go without breathing, and when he found that he could no longer stand it, he would inhale quietly through his nose.

Finally he reached the end and came up to a small room. Behind one of the doors lay another hallway.

That was when he heard them.

The little noises. Some were human, some were just…noises. There was a rhythm to them, though. _Pat pat pat._

Touzokuo could hear someone gasping. It was then that his curiosity truly began to peak. He had the desire to put down his sandals, but was afraid that he would suddenly need to get out and didn't want to leave behind evidence. Instead he placed them into his pockets before creeping down and crawling over to the hallway entrance.

_This is so wrong._ He thought to himself. _I shouldn't be doing this…why am I doing this? What am I going to tell her when I get back home?_

Despite his internal protests, he still continued to crawl over to the hallway entrance. When he reached it, he pressed his back against the wall, and very slowly, peered in.

That's when he saw them.

Bakura was sitting on the floor, with Ryou on his lap. Both were wearing absolutely nothing, except Ryou did have a sock left on one of his feet. Touzokuo could imagine that Bakura hadn't cared too much to pull it off when he was removing their clothes.

Bakura had one hand over Ryou's hard erection, and the other held firmly onto the boy's waist, making it easier to thrust inside him. Ryou had both his hands clenched tightly around his knees, but soon moved one of them up to Bakura's bangs and started to tug on them. Bakura growled contentedly as he did so.

Ryou's body was dripping in sweat, and Bakura decided to run his hands up and down the boy's torso. Light was coming in from a distant window, reflecting off Ryou and making him glisten.

Ryou leaned his head against his partner's neck, his panting grew louder as Bakura quickened his movements. Bakura whispered something into Ryou's ear right before taking a bite into his neck, making the boy whimper.

Touzokuo was positive that if the two had been paying the slightest bit of attention, they would have spotted him. But they were completely wrapped up in each other. Then suddenly Ryou tilted his gaze over slightly and Touzokuo jolted his head back. He stayed that way for a moment, keening his ears on the sounds they were making to ensure that he had not been caught. When he was certain that the two remained ignorant, he peered back in.

Bakura was playing with Ryou's nipples while kissing away at his jawbone. After he had grown bored with that, he moved his hands back to the boy's sides and pressed down, increasing his speed. Ryou placed his hands over Bakura's wrists, as if trying to encourage his movements. He started to say something, and it took Touzokuo a minute to understand what it was.

"More…please…oh! More…"

"Shh, shh, shh…." Bakura cooed. He rubbed their cheeks together. "You're going to get more, my Ryou, don't worry. Shh…"

Touzokuo blinked. He leaned back and put his head up to the wall, content with just hearing the two for the time being. Besides, he needed a minute to soak this up.

The whole situation – he had to acknowledge – brought back good memories. Back to the times when he and Bakura were still together. Although he didn't want to admit it, Touzokuo was becoming…aroused. Ryou's little moans were hitting all the right notes, and Bakura's grunts were far too familiar. Trying to keep his attention from wandering, Touzokuo couldn't help but reach into his pants…

He shook his head, realizing just how sick the whole affair was. He hadn't come here for this. He had come here…well…

In truth, he had come here to check on Ryou. They may not have known much about each other, or anything at all, really, but Touzokuo still felt concern for the boy's safety. He knew Bakura, and what he could do to a person.

It was true that Touzokuo had used Bakura in the past, but Bakura was strong. He could handle being used and heal from it quickly. Ryou on the other hand…

Touzokuo didn't believe in "owning" a person. He was all for freedom, that's why he lived outside the law. Ryou was a human being. A weak human being, but still. Even though he was dominant over his girlfriend, Touzokuo would never take advantage of her the way Bakura was with Ryou. It was just sick.

This was a concern that he had personally voiced to his ex-lover.

"It's not right of you to treat him this way." Touzokuo had said. "You need to let him go."

"He wants to be here," had been Bakura's response. "He had nothing before I came along. He'll never leave me, because he knows I'm all he has."

Touzokuo never approved of this attitude. He recalled that being the moment when their relationship started to shift. This was back when he was still visiting. Rarely, but he went over nonetheless. He noticed that Ryou was just there…all the time.

"Don't you have a family to go home to?" Touzokuo had asked him.

"No."

"Do you have any friends who wonder where you are?"

"I don't need friends."

There was something in the way Ryou had responded to the questions that made Touzokuo feel uneasy. He seemed completely apathetic towards everything except making Bakura happy. The boy was incapable of emotion until his owner stepped into the room.

Touzokuo just couldn't understand how a person could be so…completely broken.

He finally approached Bakura with the question of where he met Ryou.

"At an orphanage. Some kids were beating him up and I stepped in," to anyone else, that would have sounded like an act of kindness. But Touzokuo knew Bakura. This was part of his hunting method. "I asked him if he wanted to come back with me, and he said yes."

The orphanage, apparently, had never really contacted Bakura about Ryou. They didn't give the impression of truly caring where the boy was, provided he wasn't being held hostage. Ryou had come and was still there on his own free will, so technically, Bakura could not be arrested for kidnapping.

Touzokuo still found it a little unsettling that Bakura had gone out of his way to attract the attention of a teenage boy. He had never seemed like the pedophile-type. Then again, the thought didn't really surprise Touzokuo.

Just look at him. He had been involved with another man, a criminal at that, and suddenly ended it and started over with a good woman. It all seemed so…predictable. Bakura wouldn't do something like that. He had wanted someone new just to spite Touzokuo, and he'd be damned before _he_ did something that could be predicted.

So here he was, involved with a boy years younger than him.

Touzokuo found the entire situation to be quite amusing, for several reasons.

First was Bakura's behavior. Touzokuo would never have guessed he'd act this way during sex. He was being tender with Ryou, and if one didn't know Bakura, they'd say he was being loving towards Ryou.

Then again, Touzokuo had always been the one on top when they had been together. He had never seen Bakura in this setting before. Anything was possible, he supposed.

The other thing he found interesting, was Ryou's behavior. In truth, he hadn't really gotten to know the boy, but he recognized him. Not in a sense that the two had met prior to Bakura introducing them, but in a sense that Touzokuo had seen his type of character before. Ryou was the same type of character Touzokuo's girlfriend was. He was the type of character that had such a strong hold on people like Bakura and Touzokuo.

Ryou was vulnerable.

He was the type who would get on his hands and knees to beg Bakura to love him – beg anyone to _love_ him.

He had let Bakura take complete control over his life. He obeyed every order that Bakura gave him, without question. Ryou had obeyed when Bakura decided it was time for him to move into this mansion, to quit school and spend all his time there.

Bakura wanted to ensure that no one was able to play with his new toy. The saddest part, Ryou knew he was only a plaything to Bakura. Yet he did all these things anyways, because Bakura had the_ potential _of loving him. In a sense, he already did. Ryou had decided that being loved as a prized possession was better than not being loved at all.

And that's why his behavior now was such a surprise to Touzokuo. He had thought Ryou would want to be loved, not fucked, and yet deal with it anyways because Bakura was the one doing it to him. But here he was, screaming for more and wanting to be satisfied.

So perhaps there was more to Ryou than Touzokuo had first suspected.

Well, maybe it was a good thing that this little boy possessed a dark side. It was best that he just gave up hope now and bend to Bakura's way of thinking. Bakura was never going to love him as anything more than his favorite toy.

And he certainly would never _make_ love to him.

Bakura didn't "make love." Even when he had been with Touzokuo. To him, the act was merely slow, boring sex. Which Touzokuo confessed, had troubled him somewhat. Even though the two had only been using each other, he had felt a certain connection to Bakura. They had what it took to be lovers, if they had just let go of their pride. Touzokuo still wanted to be close to him, to physically show his partner how much he cared.

But Bakura merely scoffed at that sort of thing.

Touzokuo's thoughts were interrupted by a loud cry from Ryou, followed by a _thud_. Still crouching down, Touzokuo lifted himself from his sitting position onto his feet, preparing to run. He glanced in to see what was happening.

Bakura had pushed Ryou into the other side of the wall. He pressed the boy up against it and began to kiss him furiously. Ryou graciously returned the favor, but he kept his lower body moving, trying to crawl back up onto Bakura's lap. He wasn't done yet – he wanted his partner back inside him.

Unfortunately for Ryou, Bakura was much stronger than he was, and pushed him off with ease. He kissed Ryou's lips a few more times, and then lowered himself. Lower, lower, down Ryou's torso to his legs.

"Bakura…please…"

Tears were dripping down the boy's face as he whined in protest.

Bakura reached between his legs and pulled up Ryou's member, giving it a few light kisses and a lick here or there before placing the whole thing in his mouth. Ryou let out a scream at the action. He clutched onto Bakura's hair, unsure of what else to do with his hands. His partner didn't mind. He enjoyed the pain of having his hair yanked at as he moved his head up and down.

Ryou had a glazed look over his face. He was in complete ecstasy, lost between the feelings of pleasure and confusion. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before, and he was doing things he never dreamt he'd do. He was loving it, he just wasn't too sure why.

Bakura was enjoying Ryou's innocence and wrapped an arm around the boy's back. He pulled him closer, and sucked even harder, forcing Ryou to burst into sobs.

Touzokuo lowered himself back down, confident that the two were too concerned with what they were doing to pay any attention on what might be happening around them. He could feel his own arousal begin to perk up again. Ryou was too much like his girlfriend; she had that same innocence when they were in bed together. It was almost ashamed to see it being taken advantage of.

Both Ryou and Touzokuo were almost silently begging Bakura to stop. To just end it there and let Ryou continue being an innocent. But Bakura would never stop for something like that. He'd keep going until every inch of Ryou was stained.

He kept an arm around Ryou's waist and continued to move his head up and down, sometimes stopping just to suck. This continued until a choked gasp escaped from Ryou's lips, signaling his climax.

Bakura removed himself from Ryou, slowly, torturing him, letting a long strain of salvia trail down. He wiped off a bit of semen from his lower lip, allowing Ryou time to calm down. That didn't last long, however. Bakura clutched onto Ryou's cheeks with both hands, and just stared at him. Ryou stared back, completely hypnotized by his partner's eyes.

"Look at you…" Bakura whispered, barely loud enough for Touzokuo to hear. "You're so beautiful…"

Blush covered Ryou's face as a fresh set of tears poured down. Bakura wiped them away with his thumbs.

"Really?" The boy asked, his words were hardly audible. Bakura nodded before leaning in and pressing his lips against Ryou's. The kiss was long and passionate, unlike what they had been doing previously. Ryou wrapped his arms around Bakura's shoulders, and the two just held each other.

Touzokuo couldn't watch anymore. He shut his eyes and sat back down, turning away from the scene. He shook his head at the whole thing.

How could Bakura…well, Touzokuo knew he could be cold, but this…? Why would he choose to get the boy's hopes up?

Did he get some sort of sick satisfaction out of _pretending_ he could love someone?

Then again…

A flashback played around in Touzokuo's mind. It was of his last encounter with Bakura before the two had stopped talking to each other.

He had come over as usual, only to be greeted by a stressed-out Bakura. Of course, one had to truly know Bakura in order to tell when he was "stressed-out" because he never showed it in his actions. He was leaning, calmly, against the wall with a can of beer in his hands. The alcohol had been Touzokuo's first clue that something was wrong.

Bakura took a sip, hardly even noticing that his ex-lover had entered the room until Touzokuo cleared his throat. He still didn't look at him as he pulled the can from his lips and examined it.

There was a heavy silence between the two before Touzokuo finally asked:

"Where's Ryou?"

"In his room… resting…" Bakura still did not look at him.

"Do you – want me to go check on him?" It was a stupid question, really, since Bakura was more than capable of doing that himself, but Touzokuo was trying to kill the silence. He still hadn't predicted Bakura's reaction, though.

"_Don't you dare_!" The smaller man growled. He threw his can to the ground. It bounced twice before landing. A small trickle of liquid seeped out.

Touzokuo stepped away, completely shocked at his ex-lover. Bakura stared at him coldly for a moment. Then he came to his senses, blinking as he sighed and lowered his head.

"Sorry." He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I know you mean well, it's just…I don't like other people seeing Ryou."

"Why?"

Their eyes met. Bakura furrowed his brows as he said with complete seriousness: "Because he's mine."

Touzokuo was truly taken aback by Bakura's behavior. He had never seen him this way before. Secretly…it was frightening him.

He was hesitant as he asked: "You haven't, I mean – you didn't do anything _too_ bad to him…did you?"

"_No_!" He voice echoed across the room. "I would never do _anything_ bad to Ryou! He's mine, I'm going to take care of him!" Bakura slapped himself to the wall, keeping his gaze off Touzokuo. The bigger man could see the tension rising in Bakura's back as he breathed heavily. Something in the way Bakura was positioned reminded Touzokuo of an animal. The entire way he was acting seemed primal, actually.

It wasn't the alcohol he had drunk that was causing him to behave this way. There was something truly wrong – Bakura wouldn't just act this way. He was deeply troubled.

Touzokuo felt sorry for him, and placed a hand on his shoulder. Bakura immediately yank away from the gesture and stared up harshly at Touzokuo, the speed of his breathing increased. He stood about a foot apart with his fists clenched, preparing himself if Touzokuo tried to touch him again.

Suddenly, Touzokuo became very angry. He was trying to be nice, dammit! And this guy was attempting to _threaten_ him?

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He demanded. He clenched his own hands into fists, showing that he was not afraid. "I've known you for years, you never get stressed out like this!"

Bakura didn't answer. He just continued to breathe deeply. He relaxed his hands and wiped away the sweat that was running down his forehead. He pulled one of his arms up to his face and rested against it. When he was finally calmed down, Bakura looked up at Touzokuo and whispered:

"I want him."

Silence.

Then Touzokuo let out a sigh, but he couldn't tell if it was from exasperation, relief or both. He didn't know Bakura's sex-drive was this intense that he would get so worked up over it. Touzokuo massaged his eyelids for a minute, taking in the situation. He truly had not been expecting this when he had entered the house earlier.

"Then just have sex with him," he responded, unsure of what else to say.

"I _have_ had sex with him. We have sex everyday, it's just…" Bakura struggled to find the words he was looking for. When nothing came to mind, he simple shook his head and repeated: "I want him."

He shifted his body over and pressed his shoulder to the wall. He ran a hand over his forehead, sighing. Touzokuo merely stood there.

"I don't understand." He stated.

"I close my eyes…and he's there." Bakura was whispering, telling these things more to himself than to Touzokuo. "It's just…it's getting harder not to think about him." He was off in his own little world. "He's so perfect…"

Touzokuo was slapped back into reality by grunting noises coming from the hallway. Bakura had finally pulled Ryou onto his lap and pushed back into him. They were facing each other this time; or at least, they would have been facing each other if Ryou hadn't wrapped his arms around Bakura's shoulders and buried his face into his neck. Bakura had a firm grip on Ryou's hips, holding the boy down as he thrust into him harder.

Ryou made little "Ah!" sounds every time Bakura reentered him. Touzokuo knew that his ex-lover was getting a kick out of it. Eventually, however, Bakura couldn't stand merely holding onto Ryou's lower body and enveloped his arms over his back. The two gripped onto each other tightly.

"You're so warm and soft and perfect…"

Ryou didn't respond to his compliment – he _couldn't_ respond to it. He was still in such a state of shock that he couldn't speak. The most he could manage was moaning out his partner's name. Bakura pulled Ryou's head away from his neck and started kissing him again. He kept one hand on Ryou's cheek, and the other down at his waist. He moved inside Ryou even faster, making him moan. Ryou dug his nails into Bakura's shoulders, leaving marks.

They broke their kiss just to scream out each other's name at the orgasm.

Bakura let his arms drop down to the floor. Ryou hung over like a dead weight, so he leaned back slightly and allowed the teenager to simply balance on him. They stayed that way for a little while, trying to catch their breath.

Touzokuo decided that now was the best time to leave, since they were finished and would probably be getting up soon. He raised himself, but stopped suddenly when he heard something scrape across the floor. Quickly crouching back down, Touzokuo looked in once more.

Bakura had pulled the two back to the edge of the wall. He was cradling Ryou in his arms. Ryou was crying, so Bakura kissed at his tears. He started whispering something to the teenager, but Touzokuo couldn't make out what it was. Ryou started to say something back. All Touzokuo could hear was Bakura afterwards:

"Shh, shh shh…it's alright. It'll be alright…you'll see."

He rocked Ryou back and forth, holding him gently and close. The teenager rubbed his face into Bakura's chest until he was pulled up and kissed.

Touzokuo couldn't resist smiling at the sight. In a twisted way, this was almost…sweet. Bakura, holding Ryou, kissing his lips lightly. Then Ryou, curling up in his lap, kissing Bakura back.

Touzokuo continued to watch them, just for a moment longer before he lifted himself off the ground and crept out of the room. He tiptoed down the hallway, trying to keep away from doorway opening. After he had made it down the stairs, he took his sandals out of his pockets and placed them back on his feet. He was careful opening and closing the door, making sure that the knob twisting and slamming weren't too loud.

Once he was out of the house, he ran off the block as fast as he could. Fortunately, things were pretty dead around the area, so no one saw him. Running away from a mansion would have been too suspicious for an ignorant bystander. Especially since Touzokuo was a minority. But Bakura wouldn't want to live in a crowded place. That would make it harder to get away with…things like this.

When Touzokuo could no longer see the mansion, he slowed down and sighed. He stopped for a moment, just to take in all that he had witnessed. There was something about the situation that just seemed…well, humorous to him. In fact, he laughed a little to himself.

"I just saw Bakura and Ryou having sex," he said to himself, cracking up harder. He repeated the sentence, louder. "I just saw Bakura and Ryou having sex!"

Touzokuo found himself unable to control his laughter. So he just stood there, chuckling to himself over the whole affair. Oh, how he had _not_ expected to witness what he had that day! It was just…it was just too much! Perhaps he would be able to tell his girlfriend what had happened…but later. Telling her right away would be a bad idea. Still giggling somewhat, Touzokuo turned and continued his way back home.

It was impossible to get those scenes out of his head, so he went on and pondered over them. Once he had gotten over the immediate shock of the event, he had to admit that there were some subtle things bothering him.

Like the way Bakura had been comforting Ryou afterwards. It was cute, but the teenager seemed to have been enjoying the sex…why did he need to be consoled? And did he truly believe that Bakura's small acts of affection had any real meaning?

Sadly, he probably did.

But Touzokuo knew better. Bakura _would_ do small things like that to make Ryou happy, just to ensure that his toy was still there the next day. Touzokuo felt sorry that this broken boy had fallen under Bakura's wings. He'd never get his life back, now. Once Bakura claimed something, it was his forever. Yet even though his ex-lover could kill off the teenager within an instant, he felt that Ryou was safe with Bakura.

Touzokuo wasn't sure when Bakura's obsession with Ryou had begun to take place, but he wasn't all too surprised that it had happened.

Bakura had always been the baddest of the bad, and demanded respect wherever he went. And he got it from everyone…until Touzokuo cam along. He was never afraid of Bakura. He saw him as someone smaller than himself – both metaphorically and literally.

He had never seen Bakura as a person who could control him. Bakura was a lost child, looking for attention. He never voiced these thoughts, but rather showed them through his actions. His feelings annoyed Bakura. He had always been able to strike fear into the heart of anyone who crossed his path, and here was Touzokuo, completely amused.

He had brought Bakura back down to earth – and Bakura hated him for it. He wanted to live in his fantasy world where he was in charge, and he found that now with Ryou. He had received submission before…but not like this.

Ryou loved him. No one had ever _loved_ Bakura before. Even if Bakura didn't love him back, he was still obsessed with the fact that _someone loved him._

And that's all Ryou had to do was love him, and he would be safe. Bakura could finish him off easily, but would choose not to. Yet as long as he had the option of doing so, Ryou would be safe.

Touzokuo took his girlfriend to bed that night. Not just because he had become seriously aroused earlier that day, but also because of all his thoughts on love and obsession. He just wanted something to hold.

Her.

He wanted to hold _her._

Because she was his, and he certainly belonged to her. Those soft, pained moans she made as he moved inside her – they made his heart melt.

It was…funny. How could two dominant people like Touzokuo and Bakura be completely owned by their submissive partners?

Or maybe…her control over him was merely her ability to feed his weakness. He loved being the one on top, and not just in a sexual sense. She didn't mind being beneath him, letting him tower over her. So he came back to her, since she nourished his ego. He didn't want anyone else because they might not do this for him. In a way, through acts of submission, she had gained dominance over him.

Such was the case with Bakura and Ryou. But Touzokuo still found their situations to be different. Mostly because he was coming home to a woman, and Bakura was going home to a teenage boy, but that sort of thing didn't matter to Touzokuo.

No, the situations were different because Bakura had an obsession and Touzokuo was in love.

Or so he thought…

He recalled the way Bakura had been comforting Ryou after having sex. Or how even during it, he had held onto Ryou and took care of him so tenderly. Touzokuo did the same things with his girlfriend. If Bakura could do all those things out of an obsession…

Then there was the fact that Bakura said he _wanted_ Ryou. While clutching onto his girlfriend, Touzokuo was beginning to understand what he had meant. He held her, smelled her hair, breathed her in. He wanted her…beyond just sex. He wanted the world to know that she was his and his only. Forever.

And he could feel that way while being in love.

What was the difference between love and obsession, anyways? Didn't both drive you into insanity over a single person? Well, alright, a hateful obsession would be a different matter, but no one hated anyone in this situation. But… no one seemed to love anyone either…

Whatever love was.

Later that night, Touzokuo held onto his girlfriend as she slept, soaking up her warmth, not wanting to ever let her go. She stirred slightly as he tightened his grip. Turning her head, she looked up and smiled at him.

"I love you, Touzokuo." She whispered.

He smiled back. Whether he could determine if he truly "loved" her or not, she was still extremely important to him. He'd give the world for her happiness.

"I love you too, Kisara." He whispered.

They shared a kiss, and it was at that moment Touzokuo realized how his situation was different from Bakura's.

At the end of the day, Kisara and Touzokuo could look at each other and say "I love you." What he had with Kisara, that was going to last. It was a strong hold, and they had become stronger people because of each other. Neither of them had been hindered or withdrawn since the beginning of their relationship. They were going to build a life off of their feelings for each other.

As for Bakura and Ryou…Touzokuo could only pray they would survive.

_This is what I brought you, this you can keep_

_This is what I brought, you may forget me_

_I promise to depart, just promise one thing_

_Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep_

** Yeah, Outcastshipping. How many of you thought Thief King's girlfriend was just a Mary Sue? Don't worry, I'm never going to put a Mary Sue into any of my fics. The closest I think I'll ever get is using Amane Bakura, and I only say that because she was never officially in the Yu-Gi-Oh story, so we're basically licensed to do with her what we will.**

** Also, I don't have a problem with OCs, but mine are never going to be more than minor characters.**

** Back to Outcastshipping. Expect more of that from me, because it's one of my favorites. I like pretty much anything with Thief King, but I like this one the best. It's because I feel a personal connection to it. I can relate to Thief King as a character, meaning that I'm dominant but misunderstood, and I find a person like Kisara to be attractive. I just think they go well together.**

** On a side note, I realized that I mentioned Thief King's dominance over Kisara quite frequently throughout this fic. I'm not trying to say that women are meant to be submissive to men, and I dearly hope no one interpreted it that way. I believe that women and men are equal, I was merely writing off their characters. **

** One last note is that, don't really expect to see a lot of Tendershipping from me. I love this pairing, but overall, I'm just not a Bakura fan.**

** Maybe I shouldn't get into this…**

** I mean, Thief King's cool and Ryou's okay, I guess (when he's not in a coma) but I think that Bakura's vastly overrated. I don't mind reading stuff with him, but I feel like I'm circumcising myself whenever I write for him. But I don't hate him (obviously, or I wouldn't have written this.) I just don't care for him too much.**

** I think I'd like him better if he did something in the show besides smile evilly, kill off some minor characters and yet still lose epically. But I don't think it's his fault that he's such a worthless villain, I blame the writers. Really. I heard he's more involved in the manga, so I'll have to check that out. Maybe then my opinion of him will be higher. Sorry, had to get that out of my system.**

** Well, then there's also the fact that his fangirls annoy me. I'm sure not all of them are horny 12-year-olds, but I still find those frequently.**

** "Aaahh! OMG! Bakura! He's so SMEXY ****"**

** Gag me.**


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